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Nov 22
poem 2 comments
Laurel Marshia's picture
Laurel Marshia

A Society of Glass


Trying not to offend anyone in today’s society is like walking on a thin sheet of glass.

One moment you’re fine, and the next

You are falling through, landing on sharp shards of regret and guilt.

Skirting around beliefs, wishes and expectations cautiously,

Like you would around a shattered window pane.
It makes you wonder,

What if the world was less fragile?

What if that thin sheet of glass was more forgiving?

Can’t there be more room for a gentle understanding,

Rather than immediately becoming offended at what is sometimes a simple misconception?
Maybe the problem isn’t the glass we break, but the glass we make.

The panels we surround ourselves with to separate ourselves from everyone else.

There is glass we should break,

The crystal towers of hierarchy we rely on in order to justify our actions.
That glass tower is only as strong as its weakest tier.

And maybe it is time for us to recognize that the only way to fix this is to break the glass.

After all, a glass society is only so strong under the weight of the world.  
 
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Posted: 11.22.17
Laurel Marshia's picture
About the Author: Laurel Marshia
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Discussion

Comments

  1. Hazel.C.
    Nov 22, 2017

    Wow! I love this spin off of the challenge. The image of walking across a pane of glass is very powerful. I had an idea for some restructuring to play around with: what if you started the poem with a sensory description of walking across glass, then explain what it is like to fall through onto the shards (I loved that stanza!) and continue on with all the other insightful ideas, perhaps changing the order when needed, and concluding with the current stanza. This is just an idea, I’m not sure if it would work. I love how it is now too!

    ~Hazel

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  1. eulusivepurplepanda
    Nov 24, 2017

    I really liked this because I agree with you when it comes to this issue about people getting offended (COUGH COUGH TUMBLR) I liked how you presented your solution to the problem as well as your comparison of PC culture when it comes to offensive terms as broken glass. Great Job!

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